Leinster hammered home their status as Champions Cup favourites this afternoon, securing a dominant 41-22 victory over Toulouse in their semi-final at the Aviva Stadium this afternoon.
Leo Cullen's side were the more fancied team ahead of the game, and while the French side would look strong in the opening 20 minutes or so, the contest quickly got away from them.
Leinster scored a number of excellent tries, most notably during the two periods in the game when Toulouse were reduced to 14 men thanks to yellow cards.
TRY LEINSTER
Josh van der Flier with Leinster’s fourth try of the game as Leo Cullen’s side put one foot in this year’s final.
📺 https://t.co/CStwnXf2cB
📱 https://t.co/V5tPTz20or
📻 https://t.co/wUq1XxhF4x pic.twitter.com/G9Y5DmdYFR— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) April 29, 2023
In the end, they had far too much for the opposition.
Gordon D'Arcy on Leinster being at home for Champions Cup final
Leinster have been in incredible form this season, with many people labelling them as favourites to win the Champions Cup as a result. While they fell short against La Rochelle in last year's decider, they do seem like a more complete outfit this year.
Ronan O'Gara's side could be lying in wait once again in the final on this occasion, with La Rochelle facing Exeter Chiefs in the other semi-final tomorrow. Regardless of who comes out on top in that one, they will face quite the task against the Irish province.
Not only are Leinster a formidable outfit, but the final will also be held in Dublin. This has led to complaints in some quarters in recent days, although the decision was made before the season even got underway.
Speaking on ITV after the game, Gordon D'Arcy said that Leinster should not apologise for the fact that this year's final will be held at the Aviva Stadium.
It was a really professional performance from Leinster. People were worried about this game, just because of the quality Toulouse would bring.
The ruthlessness they showed during those two ten minutes periods was the difference. They're on the way to the final, they're in there. They will be watching tomorrow, I'm sure Leo [Cullen] and Stuart [Lancaster] will have the notebooks out looking for any weaknesses in those La Rochelle or Exeter teams...
The home advantage is absolutely massive. I do think that told today a little bit when things could have gone either way. Having that extra support here is absolutely massive.
I know there was a bit of commentary about it, should it be a neutral venue? Yes, maybe.
Don't apologise for it, it's here. They're going to need every Leinster supporter they can get here for this final, this is going to be a massive end to the season for Leinster. They want this trophy so badly.
You can be sure that Leinster will have the majority of the support in the stadium, regardless of who they face in the final.
While some may see that as an unfair advantage, they will be hoping to make the most of it on May 20th.
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